AIM: Quantitative changes of cell-free fetal DNA in maternal plasma as an indicator for impending pre-eclampsia was reported in different studies. Cell-free fetal nucleic acids can be detected in maternal circulation during pregnancy. Our aim was to determine the higher rate of fetal DNA levels in maternal blood in pre-eclampsia ...

This Commentary highlights the article by Hsu et al (in this issue) reporting an enrichment in induced regulatory T cells (iTregs) in normal pregnancy but not in preeclampsia, implicating iTreg defect as central to the pathogenesis of preeclampsia.

Much research has been done to investigate why the fetus in most pregnancies, in spite of being semi-allogenic, is not rejected by the immune system. Experiments in transgenic mice have suggested that dysfunctions in both the innate immune system (NK cells) and the adaptive immune system (T-cells and T regulatory ...

Abstract Fetal growth restriction (FGR) is a serious pregnancy complication associated with increased perinatal mortality and morbidity. Although the majority of cases with FGR result from placental dysfunction, the pathophysiology is incompletely understood. Autophagy is a physiological form of cell degradation exacerbated by nutrient and oxygen restriction, which are both ...

Evidences indicate that pregnancy can alter the Ag-specific T-cell responses. This work aims to evaluate the impact of pregnancy on the in vitro HIV-1-specific immune response. As compared with non-pregnant patients, lower T-cell proliferation and higher IL-10 production were observed in T-cell cultures from pregnant patients following addition of either ...

This prospective repeated measures study was designed to examine the cell-free DNA (cfDNA) concentrations during ovarian stimulation and the relationship between cfDNA concentration and pregnancy rates in women undergoing IVF-embryo transfer. The study examined 37 women undergoing IVF treatment in an IVF unit in a university medical centre in southern ...

Implantation failure, which is presently the major barrier in human fertility, is attributed, in many cases, to the failure of the uterus to acquire receptivity. The transition into a receptive uterus includes cellular changes in the endometrium and the modulated expression of different cytokines, growth factors, transcription factors and prostaglandins. ...

Galectin-1 (gal-1) is expressed at the feto-maternal interface and plays a role in regulating the maternal immune response against placental alloantigens, contributing to pregnancy maintenance. Both decidua and placenta contribute to gal-1 expression and may be important for the maternal immune regulation. Expression of gal-1 within the placenta is considered ...

Development of the mammary gland requires the coordinated action of proteolytic enzymes during two phases of remodelling. Firstly, new ducts and side-branches thereof need to be established during pregnancy to generate an extensive ductal tree allowing the secretion and transport of milk. A second wave of remodelling occurs during mammary ...

This research proposed to study the changes in lipid composition in cumulus cells (CCs) from women who achieved pregnancy compared with women who did not, after in vitro fertilization treatment. This approach has the potential to provide novel information on the lipid metabolism of the CCs and as an additional ...

BACKGROUND: Pregnancies in women with severe relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis treated with natalizumab constitute a major challenge, because withdrawal of the drug may cause relapses but continuation might have unknown effects on the infantile immune system. AIMS OF THE STUDY: To identify the impact of maternal natalizumab treatment during pregnancy on ...

The purpose of this study was to determine acceptability of the nucleated red blood cells counts (NRBC) as early prognostic parameter for adverse outcome in preterm neonates born from pregnancies complicated with severe preeclampsia. We analysed 77 premature newborns who were born from pregnancies with severe preeclampsia during eight years ...

Asthmatic inflammation during pregnancy poses a risk for maternal and fetal morbidities. Circulating T cell immune phenotype is known to correlate with airway inflammation (detectable by fractional concentration of nitric oxide present in exhaled breath (FENO)) in non-pregnant allergic asthmatics. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship ...

This study sought to determine whether a reliable non-invasive prenatal diagnosis (NI-PND) of cystic fibrosis (CF) or spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) can be achieved through analysis of circulating fetal trophoblastic cells (CFTC). The kinetics of CFTC circulation were also studied. CFTC were isolated by isolation by size of epithelial tumour/trophoblastic ...

A recent study in the journal Science offers insights into the mechanism behind feto-maternal tolerance, as evidenced by changes in the immuno-logical environment of the uterus and decidua. They also provide a rich area of research for the understanding of the regulation of the immune system in other complicated medical ...

The aim of this study was to determine the immunolocalization and expression of the androgen receptor (AR) in the pig placenta and umbilical cord during pregnancy following exposure to flutamide, a non-steroidal antiandrogen, at its various stages. Pregnant pigs were injected with flutamide at a daily dose of 50mg/kg body ...

Aim: Considering that Ki-67 is a proliferative marker in molar pregnancies and the possible progression of these kinds of pregnancies to gestational trophoblastic neoplasia (GTN), we decided to evaluate the rate of expression of this marker in patients with uneventful hydatidiform moles and GTN. Moreover, we determined the predictive value ...

We examined whether the CL is a site for lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) synthesis and/or a target for LPA action in the bovine reproductive tract. LPA concentrations in the CL tissue increased towards the end of the cycle and were stable during early pregnancy. No changes in the expression of LPA ...

Abstract Although central to the cardinal movements that lead to the delivery of the fetus, the second stage of labor is often neglected from a cultural and clinical viewpoint. In this phase, acquisition is more difficult, and reading and interpretation may not be the same as in the active first ...

Our objective was to examine the feasibility of reverse breech extraction to disengage fetal head from the pelvis at second stage caesarean section (CS). A total of 50 consecutive women with singleton term pregnancies undergoing urgent CS at second stage were retrospectively evaluated. A total of 29 were delivered by ...

It has been two decades since pregnancies have been obtained through in vitro maturation (IVM) of germinal vesicle-stage oocytes retrieved from non-stimulated ovaries. This technique first offered in PCOS cannot be recommended today in this indication because the results do not match those of regular ART, and new GnRH antagonist and ...

Pregnancy is a state characterized by many physiological hematological changes, which may appear to be pathological in the non-pregnant state. The review highlights most of these changes along with the scientific basis for the same, as per the current knowledge, with a special reference to the red blood and white ...

Abstract Fetal anemia, mainly due to red cell alloimmunization, is still a significant cause of fetal and neonatal mortality and morbidity. The focus of current clinical research has shifted from an invasive approach to non-invasive management and treatment of affected pregnancies, and the progress in this field is associated with ...

Objective To estimate maternal, neonatal, and labor outcomes associated with delayed pushing.Study Design A retrospective cohort study of all consecutive women admitted to a single institution in labor at term who reached the second stage of labor. Pregnancies with multiple fetuses or major anomalies were excluded. Delayed pushing was defined ...

Objective. To examine how well ultrasound assessed occipitoposterior (OP) position or high sagittal (HS) position in primiparous women with a prolonged first stage of labor predicts a vaginal delivery and the duration of labor. Design. Prospective observational study. Setting. Stavanger University Hospital, a secondary referral center in Norway. Population. 105 ...

BackgroundChronic kidney disease (CKD) has a high prevalence in pregnancy. In a period of cost constraints, there is the need for identification of the risk pattern and for follow-up.MethodsPatients were staged according to K-DOQI guidelines. The analysis was prospective, January 2000-June 2011. Two hundred and forty-nine pregnancies were observed in ...

During pregnancy, fetal cells cross into the maternal organs where they reside postpartum. Evidence from multiple laboratories suggests that these microchimeric fetal cells contribute to maternal tissue repair after injury. In mouse models, most injury experiments are performed during pregnancy; however, in a clinical setting most injuries or diseases occur ...

Maternal-fetal cellular trafficking (MFCT) during pregnancy leads to the presence of maternal cells in the fetus and of fetal cells in the mother. Since this process may be altered in cases of pregnancy complications, we asked whether open fetal surgery leads to changes in microchimerism levels. We analyzed maternal and ...

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to assess the fetal heart rate (FHR) signal quality of non-invasive abdominal fetal electrocardiogram (fECG) in comparison to the Doppler ultrasound cardiotocogram (CTG) during the first and second stage of labour. STUDY DESIGN: This was a prospective observational study of non-invasive fECG using ...

The major adaptations of the maternal cardiovascular system that progress throughout gestation may unmask previously unrecognized heart disease and result in significant morbidity and mortality. Most of these changes are almost fully reversed in the weeks and months after delivery. Hemodynamic changes during pregnancy include increased blood volume, cardiac output ...

The role of cryopreservation in assisted reproductive technology programs has increased within the last years allowing the transfer of a limited number of embryos and the storage of the remaining for future use. The reduction in the number of transferred embryos decreases the frequency of multiple pregnancy rates and of ...

This study provides a contribution to the reconstruction of the eulipotyphlan placental morphotype and also may help resolving a long-standing conflict about the interhaemal barrier in moles. As detailed descriptions of talpid placentation, only available for Talpa europaea and Scalopus aquaticus, led to a controversial debate on the nature of ...

During the past 15 years, embryo transfer (ET) has become increasingly widespread within the sport-horse breeding industry. At present, however, the vast majority (>95%) of horse embryos are transferred fresh or after chilled storage for up to 24 h, whereas cryopreservation is rarely employed despite its obvious potential for simplifying recipient mare ...

Worldwide freezing and thawing of embryos has been increasingly used since the first infant was born as a result of this technique in 1984. The use of frozen embryo replacement (FER) currently even exceeds the number of fresh cycles performed in some countries. This article discusses the pros and cons ...

A novel, minimally invasive, transabdominal embryo collection method (transabdominal method) was developed as an alternative to a standard abdominal incision for embryo collection in the common marmoset. The abdominal incision method was used for 304 flushes using 36 female animals, whereas the transabdominal method was used for 488 flushes using ...

Objective: To determine whether older women with a poor response to follicular stimulation achieve pregnancy results that are comparable to those of younger poor responders. Methods: Two hundred five women undergoing in vitro fertilization treatment at the Fertility Unit in the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney, Australia were selected ...

The purpose of this report is to describe the prenatal sonographic findings in fetuses with hydranencephaly diagnosed during the early stages of disease. Four cases with characteristics of hydranencephaly were retrospectively identified from 2 Latin American fetal medicine referral centers. Information on maternal demographics, sonographic findings, antenatal courses, and pregnancy ...

Pregnancy-induced hypertension or pre-eclampsia is a major disorder that may result in serious complications for the mother and fetus. It is characterized from maternal hypertension in late pregnancy and peripheral tissue damage, including kidney, heart and placenta, and the fetus suffers from intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) and high perinatal mortality. ...

Abstract Life-history theory predicts that selection will favor optimal levels of parental effort that balance benefits of current reproduction with costs to survival and future reproduction. The optimal level of effort depends on parental traits, offspring traits, and provisioning strategy. Additionally, how these factors influence effort may differ depending on ...

PURPOSE: The aim of our study was to compare the transfer of embryos that are cryopreserved in cleavage stage after thawing with the transfer of embryos after thawing and culture in sequential media until blastocyst formation. METHODS: In this prospective clinical study, we have evaluated 134 cycles of ART treatment ...

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the safety of vitrification of embryos by comparing the perinatal outcome of vitrified day 3 ETs with fresh cleavage-stage ETs. DESIGN: Retrospective analysis. SETTING: Assisted reproduction center. PATIENT(S): A total of 806 women with 494 infants delivered were included. INTERVENTION(S): Supernumerary embryos and embryos of patients at ...

In livestock, parthenogenic embryos are simple to produce, but androgenetic embryos have been successfully produced only in sheep and cows. In the present study, matured porcine oocytes were enucleated by micromanipulation and then fertilized with sperm in vitro, thereby producing porcine androgenetic embryos. Porcine androgenetic embryos, which had only sperm ...

OBJECTIVE: Embryo transfer (ET) is an important last step during the process of IVF. Over the years much has been learned about the importance of the details of this procedure including the potential impact of transfer depth on outcome. The objective of our study was to evaluate whether transfer depth ...

This study aims to provide a first evaluation of the morphological embryo grading scheme proposed in the British Fertility Society and Association of Clinical Embryologist joint guidelines for elective single embryo transfer. Pregnancy data were obtained from a cohort of patients treated at St. Mary's Hospital in Manchester, UK, between ...

The aim of this study was to investigate simultaneous laparoscopy in endometriotic women with infertility undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF). Forty-seven infertile patients with endometriosis were enrolled in this retrospective study and underwent IVF cycles in a university affiliated hospital. The chemical pregnancy, clinical pregnancy and live birth rates were statistically ...